Some schools in the Fargo-Moorhead area are already working with businesses to fill the gaps.

The Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead is tailoring some degree and certificate programs to better prepare students. Minnesota State University Moorhead officials host “sector breakfasts” with business leaders to find out what the school can do better.

Collaboration

“That’s the kind of collaboration and communication between education and business that can have a really powerful end result,” Gartin said.

Some in the area, particularly in the health field, say their outreach and cooperation with educational institutions has allowed them to keep their pool of candidates well-stocked.

F-M Ambulance workers, for example, teach the emergency medical technician and paramedic programs at North Dakota State College of Science.

But there’s no full two-year educational institution on this side of the Fargo-Moorhead area. NDSCS’ current facility here is a satellite center.

The school wants to change that with a full Fargo campus, which it says could reach an enrollment of 1,500 students and meet the growing workforce needs in eastern North Dakota.

If approved by the state Board of Higher Education, the $65 million project would be built in stages.

At the statewide level, the board has already proposed a tuition freeze at two-year schools. Lower tuition could help students get an education and prepare them for further schooling or the workforce, said board chairwoman Kirsten Diederich.

“It’s kind of like the gateway,” she said. “Get them in there, get them started and let them choose their path.”